The scene of Sweet Rose Creamery’s preview opening on September 20 was an odd one for the block in Santa Monica where the new ice cream, pastry and coffee shop chose its latest location. In this developing part of town on Pico Boulevard between 9th and 10th street , home to many without homes, the offer of a scoop of housemade ice cream was an inviting one. As hipsters, uppies, soccer moms and kids and random people from the surrounding neighborhood lined up, the common denominator was appreciation for truly delicious ice cream.

Restaurateurs Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan and co-owner/Executive Chef Shiho Yoshikawa selected the location because in addition retail storefront, the location offered a huge amount of space for their research and development kitchen, which boasts a 1,000-square-foot freezer and ample workspace, where Yoshikawa can experiment and create her new recipes for her celebrated frozen treats. The owners also wanted to support the local community, which is part of the company’s philosophy.

“We opened Sweet Rose Creamery in an area we felt would welcome a family-centric, artisanal ice cream shop; a place where everything is truly made by hand,” says Loeb. “When we looked to find our next location, we wanted to invest in a developing part of Santa Monica. We turned down the opportunity to open in higher traffic areas in order to support our local neighborhood.”

A special benefit to the neighbors will be exclusive flavors at the Santa Monica location.

The newest shop is the second location for Sweet Rose Creamery which opened its orginal location at the Brentwood Country Mart in 2010. At both locations, customers can find exclusively organic dairy, integrating seasonal produce from neighborhood farmers’ markets, and making all items—from waffle cones to the ice cream base—from scratch.

In addition to ice cream, the shop will sells fresh and frozen yogurts, pastries from sister restaurant Milo and Olive and coffee from local roaster Caffe Luxxe.